


Dog Days

by Songbird321



Series: Eremin Week 2015 [5]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dogs, First Meeting, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 14:46:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4923676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Songbird321/pseuds/Songbird321
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It started off as just another normal day, taking his neighbor's dog for a walk. But little did Eren know just how perilous the life of a dog walker can be; he could just find himself falling in love before he has the chance to brace for impact.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dog Days

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! This was written for the prompt 'Part Time Job AU' for Eremin Week May 2015, and I went with a dog walker au, and this was the result! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> You also might recognize the dogs' names from somewhere... ;)

“Okay, come on,” Eren said, tightly wrapping the leash around his hand as the puppy at his feet barreled out the door. The brunette was just able to close the door with a slam before the energetic golden retriever pulled him forward. 

“Whoa, Sonny, calm down,” the boy laughed, pulling back slightly on the leash to maintain control. “We’re going, we’re going,” he said with exasperation as the puppy looked up at him with curious brown eyes. “Man, you’re strong.” The puppy gave an excited yelp as Eren shook his head, a smile breaking on his lips. “Your owners are gonna have fun with you when you get bigger,” he said before leading Sonny down the driveway to the sidewalk. 

The dog pranced happily through the grass, alternating between trotting next to Eren and barreling forward, his golden hair blowing in the wind. The teenager had to keep a tight grip on the leash to handle the puppy’s energy. But it was nothing he couldn’t handle. He wasn’t considered the best dog sitter in the neighborhood for nothing. 

The longer they walked, the more comfortable Eren got at controlling Sonny’s movements, and before he knew it, he could do it unconsciously. The boy and the dog moved along in perfect rhythm, enjoying the bright sun warming the Earth and the gentle breeze that beat against their faces. It was perfectly peaceful. 

That all changed when Sonny bolted forward, barking at full volume, at another dog who was approaching them from up the street. Eren had just enough time to catch a glimpse of the little corgi ahead and the blonde boy holding its leash before Sonny’s advance had him racing to catch up, the puppy strong enough to pull him against his will. 

“Sonny! Stop!” Eren exclaimed, tripping over his feet as the dog barreled forward. He tried in vain to dig his heels into the ground, to pull the dog back, but Sonny had the advantage. The other dog began to bark excitedly, crouching in wait for Sonny. The golden retriever and corgi met in seconds and spent no time in getting straight to playtime, leaping and bouncing around one another, crouching and pouncing playfully.

“I’m so sorry,” Eren said breathlessly, trying to get ahold of Sonny again. 

“That’s okay,” the other boy laughed. “They seem to be getting along fine.” The boys watched as Sonny rolled over on his back, and the corgi pounced right on top of his stomach. “They’re cute, aren’t they?”

“Yeah,” Eren mused, turning his attention back to the other boy. Speaking of cute… “Hey, do I know you? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

A tiny blush creeped up on the boy’s face as he ran a nervous hand through his blonde hair that fell horizontally across his forehead. “No, I uh… I actually just moved in last week. My name’s Armin. Armin Arlert.” Armin held his hand out tentatively. 

“I’m Eren. Eren Jaeger.” The brunette clasped Armin’s hand and gave it a shake. “How old are you, Armin?”

“Fifteen,” the blonde answered, nervously pulling his hand back against his side. “I’m going to be a sophomore at the high school next fall.”

Eren’s face lit up. “No way! Me too!” Armin’s clear blue eyes widened. 

“Really?” he asked hopefully. Eren nodded and opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off as the dogs began to bark again. The corgi was lunging backwards, his little tail wagging in wait for Sonny to play along. As soon as Sonny stepped forward, the corgi ran. Sonny followed. 

“Sonny, stop!” Eren cried again as the dogs’ began to run around their owners, their leashes encircling their legs. 

“Bean!” Armin exclaimed, his head whipping back and forth as the dogs continued circling. Eren could feel the leashes tightening around his ankles, drawing him closer to Armin with each lap. When Sonny finally caught the corgi, (Bean, apparently), Armin and Eren were so close that their chests would be touching if their arms holding their respective leashes weren’t in the way, balancing precariously on their toes, at the mercy of the dogs. This close, their height difference became more apparent. Eren had to look down to properly meet Armin’s eyes. The orbs that met his were so wide, so pure, so innocent and so darn blue that Eren almost wished their arms weren’t in the way. 

“I’m so sorry!” Armin exclaimed, embarrassment thick in his voice. His ears were a burning, fire truck red. “Bean’s just got so much energy. He can be hard to control.”

“Don’t worry about it. Sonny’s the same way,” Eren replied, shrugging his shoulders with a smile. “Bean’s a cute name, by the way.” 

“T-thanks,” Armin said with a smile of his own. “His name is actually Benjamin, because my grandpa wanted him to have a proper name, but Bean’s been his nickname since we got him.” 

“That’s awesome,” Eren said. 

“What about your dog?” Armin asked, nodding towards the puppies who were now rolling happily in the grass, despite their owners’ discomfort. “How’d you get the name Sonny?”

“Oh, he’s not my dog,” Eren answered. “I’m dog sitting for a neighbor.”

“Oh,” Armin said awkwardly. “But you… you still live in this neighborhood right?” Eren nodded. 

“Yep. And I dog sit all the time, so if Bean ever needs to meet some friends…” Armin’s face lit up with a smile that was ruined in an instant as Sonny began to bark, darting forward at another dog passing on the other side of the street. The sudden movement jerked the boys backward, and with the delicate balance interrupted, sent them toppling to the ground, Armin on top of Eren. 

Armin gave a small yelp as they fell. Eren instinctively wrapped his free arm around the petite blonde, tucking his head in Armin’s shoulder to keep it from hitting the ground. His back hit the ground first, thankfully hitting the grass instead of the sidewalk. It was still enough to knock the wind right out of him.

“Eren! Are you okay?” Armin asked. Eren pulled his head back from the blonde’s shoulder, meeting his worried blue eyes. 

“Yeah,” the brunette answered, a little breathless. “Are you?”

Armin nodded. Sonny sat down in the grass behind them, content with himself for barking at the other dog. Bean continued to roll merrily in the grass to the left. Armin and Eren remained frozen on the ground, green eyes staring into blue ones and vice versa. 

“Your heart’s beating really fast,” Armin commented idly. Eren felt his eyes widen as he became aware of just how fast his heart was beating… and the fact that he could also feel Armin’s heartbeat through their shirts. “Uh… that probably came out wrong.”

“N-no. You’re okay,” Eren stuttered, painfully aware of the position they were currently in. He quickly pulled his arm away from where it was still curled around Armin’s back. “Let’s just…” he said, trying to wiggle a way out from under Armin. The blonde’s face flushed a deep red as he carefully slid to the side, next to Eren instead of on top of him. Their ankles were still constricted by the leashes, but side-by-side, it was easier to pull free. 

“Ah,” Eren said, rubbing the red welts rising on his ankles from the leashes. “How are your ankles?” 

“Fine,” Armin replied, hiding a cut on his left leg from Eren. The brunette shook his head.

“No, you’re bleeding,” he said in protest. 

“It’s just a little cut,” Armin waved away Eren’s concern. “I’ll be fine. But what about you? Did you hit your head when we fell? You don’t have a concussion, do you?”

“No, no, my back took most of the hit,” Eren answered, rubbing along his spine as his back began to throb lightly. “But I’ll be fine.”

“Good,” Armin replied. Eren nodded. Armin nodded. Eren nodded again. 

“Can I…” Armin began, losing his confidence midway, then gaining it back. “Can I ask you for your number? You know, if Bean ever wants to make some friends?” 

Eren’s smile spread from ear to ear. “Of course!” he exclaimed, pulling his phone from his pocket. “I mean, for the dogs, of course. Because they definitely deserve a reward after the little stunt they pulled today.”

Armin laughed as they exchanged numbers. 

“So, how often do you walk dogs?” the blonde boy asked. 

“Depends. Usually three times a week,” Eren shrugged casually. 

“Would you… maybe have time to show me around a little, on days when you don’t have to work?” Armin asked shyly. “You’re the first person I’ve met my age and I just thought maybe…”

“Definitely,” Eren interrupted with a nod. “Just text me whenever, and we’ll work something out.”

“Awesome,” Armin replied, smiling shyly. “That means a lot.” 

“Anytime,” Eren said in response, pushing himself to his feet and offering Armin a helping hand. “But I gotta get Sonny back. It was real nice meeting you Armin.”

“You too,” the blonde replied. “See you around!”

Eren waved, pulling Sonny back in the direction of home. Armin waved back with the cutest little smile, leading Bean away. 

“You’re a little troublemaker, you know that?” Eren whispered down at the golden retriever trotting by his side. “But you know what? I’ll let it slide this time.” Sonny gave a happy woof, nuzzling his head against Eren’s leg. “Hey now, you’re not totally forgiven yet. You got me a number. Get me a date and then we’ll talk.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little pile of fluff! 
> 
> This concludes the works from this eremin week, but check back in the future for more! (As I'm sure there will be more in the future!) 
> 
> You can check me out on tumblr [here](http://pretty-eyes-jaeger.tumblr.com) if you want! Sometimes I post little fics and things on there, and you can always find my work for ship weeks on there (I did just create a new blog, however, so I don't have a lot of writing up right now. But the blog is also just a mess of SNK, so if you like that, please come check me out and we can be nerd together!)


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